During the Zhenguan reign(627-649) of the Tan Dynasty there was a mill situated in the west of Chang’an, the capital of China, whose owner had a horse and a donkey, the former doing conveyance and the latter turning the millstone. On the third year of Zhenguan the horse was chosen by Xuan Zong or Monk Sanzang(tripitaka) for his journey through the western Region (now Xinjian in northwest China and parts of Central Asia)to
India to fetch the Buddhist Scripture.
17years later, it was on the back of this horse that the Buddhist manuscripts came to
China. When the horse met with the donkey and talked about his experiences all the way back, the latter sighed with admiration, “ You’re really rich in experience. How far you have traversed! It’s hardly imaginable for me!” However, the horse said, “In fact, turning the millstone you’ve covered the same distance as I did. What makes a difference is that when you stayed all the time at the same spot, I accompanied Master Xuan Zang to a faraway destination and found a broad new world.”
Among all mortal beings , why people of a kind or similar qualities become poles apart in terms of achievement? The story of the horse and donkey is a case in point: when the former goes westward for a long expedition, the latter never gets away from the mill.
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